External reactions to the situation in Belarus
1. Belarus: Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi on the Presidential elections
The Presidential elections took place in the Republic of Belarus on 9 August. The European Union had repeatedly expressed its expectations on the proper conduct of these elections.
The election night was marred with disproportionate and unacceptable state violence against peaceful protesters. This reportedly resulted in the loss of life of one citizen and many others have been injured. We condemn the violence and call for the immediate release of all detained during last night. The Belarusian authorities must ensure that the fundamental right of peaceful assembly is respected.
Following their unprecedented mobilisation for free elections and democracy, the Belarusian people now expect their votes to be counted accurately. It is essential that the Central Electoral Commission publishes the results reflecting the choice of the Belarusian people.
Only upholding human rights, democracy, and free and fair elections will guarantee stability and sovereignty in Belarus. We will continue to closely follow the developments in order to assess how to further shape the EU’s response and relations with Belarus in view of the developing situation.
2. Presidential election in Belarus: PACE President applauds the courage and determination of Belarus people, especially women, and calls on authorities to respect human rights and rule of law standards
Following the Presidential election in Belarus, PACE President Rik Daems made the following statement:
“I have been following closely the Presidential election in Belarus as well as the events of last night following the closing of the vote – I deeply regret that this election was far from being free and fair.
Candidates were not able to run and campaign freely, there have been severe restrictions on freedom of assembly and freedom of expression - including widespread detentions of peaceful protesters, activists and journalists - and the integrity of early voting has been called into question.
The events of last night – including the use of force by the police and the military as well as the detention of protestors – aggravate my concerns. I urge the authorities to show utmost restraint and to ensure unhindered exercise of fundamental human rights and freedoms in accordance with Belarus’ international obligations and commitments. Freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly are an essential pillar of democratic societies and a necessary condition for a pluralist and democratic political process.
I particularly applaud the courage and determination of Belarus’s women, who have actively participated in the political process as leaders, campaigners and engaged voters, despite sexist remarks that have being voiced throughout the campaign. Such dismissive language, as PACE has repeatedly made clear, has no place in modern politics.
The Assembly has long urged the authorities in Belarus to move towards a ‘truly competitive political system’ in which parties and candidates can register and campaign without hindrance, and voters can make free and informed choices.
Belarus applied to join the Council of Europe in 1997 but, due to lack of democratic progress, this process has been frozen for some years. Nevertheless, the rights and freedoms of the Belarusian people remain close to our hearts and, despite the fact that this election has been deeply disappointing, we continue to look forward to the day when European democratic values fully prevail in Belarus.
Therefore, the Assembly will follow the situation closely, in particular through its Political Affairs and Democracy Committee.”
3. Poland: “The authorities have used force against their citizens, who are demanding change in the country. We must support the Belarusian people in their quest for freedom,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a statement.
Prime Minister Morawiecki calls for an extraordinary European Council meeting on the situation in Belarus
Poland is responsible for its immediate neighbours. Therefore, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appealed in a letter to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, to convene an extraordinary European Council meeting on the events in Belarus.
Following the presidential elections in Belarus conducted on 9 August 2020, the authorities used force against their citizens who are demanding changes in the country.
We must support the Belarusians in their quest for freedom. Thus the initiative of the head of the Polish government to make the European Council address this issue.
The content of the letter of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki can be found below:
MFA statement on the situation in Belarus: In the context of the developments that are taking place in Belarus, the Polish MFA expresses its grave concern about the brutal pacification of post-election demonstrations. The sharp reaction of law enforcement officers, use of force against peaceful protesters, and arbitrary detentions are unacceptable. We urge the Belarusian authorities to stop actions that escalate the situation and start respecting fundamental human rights.
4. Ukraine:
Ukraine calls on Belarus to be as tolerant as possible and hold open dialogue – President Ukraine calls on the Republic of Belarus to be as tolerant as possible, hold open dialog and reject violence, because it is this approach that will ensure a way out of the difficult crisis situation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"We call on our neighbors to be as tolerant as possible, and reject street violence. We call for the most open, albeit complex, dialog, because only a broad dialog will allow the citizens of the Republic of Belarus to find a way out of the difficult crisis situation and honestly discuss further steps and formats of public interaction. Only mutual understanding between all parties can preserve the country's independence and ensure its further movement towards freedom and democracy," the Head of State said.
Otherwise, the escalation of violence will grow, and the implications will be very negative, he added.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, now both parties should be interested in such a dialogue – both the government and protesting society.
"Our neighbors Belarusians are going through difficult times now. They are trying to determine the vector of their further development. And this is very difficult. It is already obvious that not everyone in the country agrees with the announced provisional election results. And, as you know, any legitimacy arises exclusively from public trust. Exclusively from trust. Doubt on such a scale is a direct road to violence, conflict, and growing public outcry. Unfortunately, this is what we are seeing now," the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Belarus in its actions should adhere to the democratic standards generally recognized in the civilized world as much as possile, try to provide its own people with their rights and freedoms in full, because this is the only way to preserve hope for a way out of the crisis.
"Ukraine and I personally are extremely interested in Belarus being a truly independent and democratic country with a strong economy and stable social relations. Belarus is our closest neighbor, and therefore we are not at all indifferent to what is happening there and what will happen to our friends next," the head of state said.
5. Romania.
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, tweet: “Very concerned about the recent developments in #Belarus. #Romania urges #Belarus to fully observe the fundamental human rights and strongly believes that the only way forward is to stop the violence and start the political dialogue as soon as possible”.
6. Russia.
Greetings to Alexander Lukashenko on winning presidential election in Belarus:
Vladimir Putin congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on winning the Belarusian presidential election. “I hope that your governance will facilitate further development of mutually beneficial Russian-Belarusian relations in all areas, closer cooperation within the Union State, extensive integration within the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS, and military and political links within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. Without doubt, these efforts serve the core interests of the brotherly nations of Russia and Belarus,” the President stressed in his message.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/63872
7. Republic of Moldova: Igor Dodon, Message of congratulation:
8. Lithuania:
The Presidents of Lithuania and Poland urge the Belorussian authorities not to use force
President Gitanas Nausėda together with President Andrzej Duda addressed the Belorussian authorities on Sunday evening, urging them to adhere to democratic standards, respect human rights and refrain from the use of force in the face of mass protests. “As neighbors of Belarus, we call on the Belorussian authorities to fully recognize and adhere to fundamental democratic standards. We urge the Belorussian authorities to abstain from violence and respect the fundamental freedoms, human and civil rights, including the rights of national minorities, and freedom of expression”, said the Presidents in their joint statement. The two leaders emphasized that dialogue was the best way to achieve social progress, discuss reforms and policies. The President of Lithuania and the President of Poland pointed out that they respected the sovereignty and independence of Belarus, but also hoped for favorable conditions for deepening the partnership with Belarus and its people. “We are convinced that closer cooperation with the European Union is in the interests Belarus. We want this cooperation to remain open”, said the two Presidents in their joint statement.
The President: I call upon the EU leaders to assess the situation in Belarus
President Gitanas Nausėda supports the address by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to the top leaders of the EU institutions, Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and Charles Mitchel of the European Council, urging the EU to pay due attention to the worrying situation in Belarus and to support hopes and expectations the Belorussian people.
“At this stage, people of Belarus who want change in their country need the support of the international community and the European Union. I support the proposal of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to hold an extraordinary EU Summit to discuss the situation in Belarus. The aspirations of the citizens of Belarus deserve adequate attention from the EU and Western countries”, the President said.
On the night of 9 August, Presidents of Lithuania and Poland released a statement calling upon the Belorussian authorities to adhere to democratic standards, respect human and civil rights, and refrain from the use of force in the face of mass protests. Still on the night from Sunday to Monday, a wave of protests and clashes with police broke out after the announcement of the preliminary results of the presidential election in Belarus: thousands of protesters were arrested and dozens injured.
According to the President, elections in Belarus cannot be considered democratic and transparent after the country failed to ensure safe, free and fair elections.
“Citizens’ rights, freedom of speech and expression were not respected in these elections. I urge the Belorussian authorities to release all peaceful protesters, journalists as well as representatives of the civil society detained during the elections and, together with the Polish leaders, I call upon the heads of the EU institutions to respond to the situation in Belarus at the highest level”, the President said.
MFA statement on the situation in Belarus
We continue to observe the situation in Belarus, where presidential elections took place on the 9th of August. The elections did not comply with the international commitments of Belarus and globally recognised standards of democracy, and they were not free and fair.
The Belarusian authorities once again failed to ensure respect for human rights and freedoms, and the country was shaken by repressions against the civil society, political activists, candidates in the presidential elections, and the media. The use of excessive force against the participants of peaceful demonstrations is highly reprehensible and unacceptable.
Belarus has violated its commitments and thus has not created conditions for the work of international and independent election observers.
We are concerned that the Lithuanian and international community’s call to put an end to repressions and to ensure a transparent election environment was ignored. We urge the Belarusian authorities to stop persecution of political opponents, to release all those unfairly detained immediately and to respect human rights and freedoms.
It is rather symbolic that the process of loading of the first reactor of Astravets Nuclear Power Plant with nuclear fuel took place right before the presidential elections in Belarus. This once again proves that the entire launch of the power plant was planned in accordance with the election schedule rather than following the implementation of safety requirements. The nature of this project is clearly geopolitical and not economic. Lithuania refuses to purchase electricity from the unsafe Astravets Nuclear Power Plant and shall continue to address this issue in the international arena.
We are prepared to develop relationships based on the principles of good neighbourhood, mutual respect, and trust. However, these relationships are highly dependent on the will and actions of our neighbour state.
https://www.urm.lt/default/en/news/mfa-statement-on-the-situation-in-belarus-
